The idea of homecoming court pranks is a topic popular within movies, TV and books. The most popular case in point is the Stephen King book "Carrie" and the movie adaptation. Unfortunately, the way Carrie teaches the bullies a lesson (by setting the auditorium on fire) has not served as a lesson and deterrent for others to do this same thing to fellow classmates.

This doesn't just happen in the movies, but sadly, this happens in real life. And this kind of prank is a form of bullying. A prank crosses the line from "harmless fun" into bullying when its purpose is to humiliate and shame.

Whitney Kropp

The Associated Press reports that Whitney Kropp, a junior at West Branch's Ogemaw Heights High School, was named to her high school homecoming court as part of an apparent prank. I couldn't imagine having to go through this in high school. And on top of that, how can any students be punished for what they did to her? If school officials wanted to do that, they would have to punish the entire class. After all, it would be really difficult to find out who started this — considering several students would have to take part in this cruel prank in order to vote her onto the court. But this story does have a happy ending. Several local businesses, hearing about what happened to her, have donated their services to Kropp — buying her dinner, fixing her hair and nails and dressing her in a gown free of charge.

To me, this shows that no matter how many people are bullies, there are still just as many people (if not more) out there who stand against these bullies and will stand up for the bullied.

For those who are bullied, if this isn't proof you are not alone — I don't know what is. If you are bullied, there are several people out there who have your back. On The Oakland Press' Facebook page, reader Sherry Lazdinsh shared her experiences being bullied in high school — and offers hope to those who are being bullied. She shows that, just because you are bullied, doesn't mean what they say is true. And it doesn't mean you won't have a great future.Lazdinsh wrote, "I
was bullied horribly in HS, teased for being adopted, picked on for
having braces and glasses as well. I was teased for being in a special
math class, told I would be nothing in life. But now at 26 I am married
with two beautiful daughters, have a house of my own and I am very happy
and successful. My bully? Well she is living in her parents basement
with no job.....Moral of the story, bullies in HS tend to be loser as
adults. I wish this girl all the best at her dance and in her future."

That's probably why it seems the older we get, the less sleep we get. Because the older we get, the more daily stresses we have to think about that prevent us from sleeping. From the simple — did I lock the front door? To the more plaguing thoughts — Why did I say that to him? How am I going to afford my bills? Am I going to get laid off? Did I do good enough at work today? Did I get everything done that I had to?

I don't know about you, but when I'm stressed out, I tend to go home from work, get out a carton of ice cream or candy bar and start chowing down. Either that or a bottle of beer. Stress expert Paul Huljich says this does not help.

Huljich has recently released a book titled "Stress Pandemic" about how he has overcome his stress drug-free. He said, in order to become less stressed, we need to cut out the C-R-A-P (an acronym for coffee, refined sugar, alcohol and processed food and drinks).

He says you need to have a healthy and balanced diet — and eat small amounts of "good mood foods" throughout the day (no, I'm not talking about Arby's) instead of three big meals.

Turkey, chicken and fish also boost serotonin levels. Livestrong website reports that walnuts are especially beneficial for serotonin production. Egg whites are also ranked very high in the list of foods with high serotonin.

Omega-3 and vitamin B-complex supplements taken daily will also increase the amount of serotonin in the body. And so will regular aerobic exercises.

White flour and sugar carbohydrates will boost serotonin levels on a short-term basis, but then the levels will quickly drop, causing you to feel tired. So no on that.

The book states: (Foods with high serotonin) deliver several key nutrients that play a vital role in
supporting brain chemistry to reduce the risk of anger, fatigue and
irritability. They also do something equally important as well: powerful
combinations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants help you build up
your energy and capacity to handle life from your body’s deepest levels
(your cell’s metabolic and energy pathways). This is what we should all
aim for, rather than a quick burst of stimulation from a sugar, carb, or
caffeine fix that ultimately leaves you feeling tired and cranky.

I don't know about you, but I plan to go to the grocery store and buy some of these foods today — making a list of high serotonin foods and trading in my daily cup of coffee for green tea.

Okay, that sounded creepier than I meant it to. But it's true. Everyone has that voice in their head -- the voice that is more critical than the rest of the world is. The voice that can see a pimple that no one else notices. The voice telling them, "You can't do it." The voice that focuses on the one criticism -- not matter how many compliments you receive.

The voice is more prominent for other people and quieter for others. Let's just say that voice in my head is pretty loud. It's even louder when I look in the mirror in fluorescent lighting.

This is something I've had a problem with for most of my life. A counselor once told me that this is something everyone she has ever met has had a problem with -- that voice in their heads that tells them they can't. Let me tell you, hearing that was a relief.

It's strange to think that even those who we may be envious of, who we may think is the most beautiful person in the world, has this same voice in their head.

Sometimes even more so. I mean, can you even count how many celebrities have overdosed on drugs? People who the outside world seemingly thought were perfect?

Obviously, their lives weren't so perfect. Yet, here I am, dreaming of being more beautiful and well, just better in general. But when we are envious of others lives, we don't know what they are going through. We don't know if they feel just as bad about themselves as we do. How can we wish for the qualities of another person's life when we know nothing about what they are going through?

I read this quote once by Regina Brett, “If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back."

This is a true statement -- but when we get reprimanded, or even fired, at work, can't even find a job in the first place, can't afford our bills, get broken up with or get a divorce, or just look in the mirror and think, "Wow, I look ugly," it's easier said then done to think, "There are a lot of people worse off than I am."

But the counselor said something that really hit home for me. She said, "Would you ever say those things you think about yourself to a friend?" I responded, "No." And she said, "If a friend ever said those words you say to yourself, you would stop being their friend, right?" I responded, "Yes." She then asked me why, if I wouldn't want to be around someone who treated me that way, why would I treat myself that way?

I never thought of it that way. I've heard all my life, "Treat others the way you would want to be treated." To tell you the truth, if I treated other people the way I treated myself, people really wouldn't want to be around me. So, for those who are kind to the rest of the world but forget to be kind to yourself, instead, try to live by this saying, "Treat yourself the way you would treat others." And I am slowly trying to do this. I try to think to myself, "If my friend was going through the same problems as I was, what would I say to him or her?" And the words I would say to comfort a friend are never, ever the words I say to myself.

Having a child is one miracle in this lifetime that happens
on a daily basis to thousands of women all over the globe. But despite the joy
of bringing a child in the world, many may say the act of giving birth isn’t
the most “beautiful” thing in the world.

I know I don’t have to go into gory detail, but let’s just
say, the female body goes through many extreme changes while giving birth. So,
it’s not hard to believe that, after giving birth, emotions may be very out of
whack. After all, what can you expect when you just had a human being growing
inside your body. And then, in metaphorical terms, you had to push a semi-truck
out of a compact car-sized parking space. This is a stressful life event if I
have ever seen one.

Although I myself have never had a child (and do not plan to
for a very, very long time — emphasis on the “very, very”), I do not think
people (*cough*cough* especially men) understand that this bodily change can
very likely affect a woman’s emotions both during and after the pregnancy. And
this is no joking matter. Side note: yes, when she is craving something
ridiculous like pickles and peanut butter — get it for her!

Women’s Health shows that 13 percent of pregnant women and
new mothers suffer from depression. Depression after childbirth is called
postpartum depression, and hormonal changes may trigger symptoms of postpartum
depression. This is because, when a woman is pregnant, levels of the female
hormones estrogen
and progesterone
increase greatly. And within the first 24 hours of childbirth, these levels
quickly go back to normal.

If you’re a significant other or family member of a woman
suffering from depression, you need to help her identify this. She may not even
realize it herself. A woman should not be alone in raising a child in the first
place. SHE NEEDS HELP!

Many people seek help for depression...but the only problem is most people don't continue this for long periods of time. After all, seeing a psychiatrist and paying for prescriptions is, well, expensive.

But according to Clinical Psychiatry News, a new drug may be on its way to treating people who are depressed...or even suicidal. I have my fingers crossed that this medication will work. If it does, this could be a life saver for people across the world.

Considering there has been no new treatments for depression in decades, this gives much hope to community members suffering from depression.

Several recent studies support the anesthetic agent ketamine's immediate and long-lasting effects. According to the article in Clinical Psychiatry News, a study of 30 patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder found that ketamine infusions were associated with significant increases in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF), accompanied by changes in slow-wave activity on electroencephalograms.
Studies also showed that those considering suicide who took the drug said the thoughts decreased significantly within 40 minutes of taking the drug — and lasted for up to 10 days.

This gives me so much hope for the future. Wouldn't that be amazing to have a prescription which erases the desire for a person to kill him or herself in less than an hour? And, on top of that, the person only needs to take about three pills a month to be depression-free?

Sunny Aslam, MD, says, "Although the research is preliminary, and
abuse concerns are real, ketamine appears to have a bright future."

In her WebMD blog, she wrote that ketamine blocks a chemical called
glutamate in the brain, which is different from the action of many
antidepressants. Most antidepressants work on the neurotransmitters, of
which serotonin is the most well known.

Tests are still being done on this drug. So, I stress do not buy this drug on the street. This is not safe, and on the street, the drug is a rave drug and will have different effects that the doctor-approved version of the drug.